I think what made it a sad event was the awareness that Mao was missing, and for such a devastating reason. I understand the feelings about Alissa's finish, of course. She was doing so well, and it seemed as if her old fears were coming back. But because her difficulties were caused by an injury, we can have hopes that this result was a temporary aberration. Mao's setback, on the other hand, cannot be remedied. I'm sure she will resume her excellent skating, but what she has suffered is not something that can be undone.

What a tough year it has been for Japanese skating. From the earthquake to the tsunami to the radiation and the economic dislocation, and now Mao and Mai's bereavement, even skaters who have done well have surely been shaken by what has happened to their teammates and compatriots. When I was in my first year of college, four students died in unrelated circumstances during that term. I didn't know any of them, but the events made us all feel shaken and vulnerable in our own lives. What Japan's young people endured this year has been dramatically more intense than that. It has to have affected them.

I think what made it a sad event was the awareness that Mao was missing, and for such a devastating reason. I understand the feelings about Alissa's finish, of course. She was doing so well, and it seemed as if her old fears were coming back. But because her difficulties were caused by an injury, we can have hopes that this result was a temporary aberration. Mao's setback, on the other hand, cannot be remedied. I'm sure she will resume her excellent skating, but what she has suffered is not something that can be undone.

What a tough year it has been for Japanese skating. From the earthquake to the tsunami to the radiation and the economic dislocation, and now Mao and Mai's bereavement, even skaters who have done well have surely been shaken by what has happened to their teammates and compatriots. When I was in my first year of college, four students died in unrelated circumstances during that term. I didn't know any of them, but the events made us all feel shaken and vulnerable in our own lives. What Japan's young people endured this year has been dramatically more intense than that. It has to have affected them.

I too has been wondering what's up with whatever has hit the Japanese skaters this year. It's like a cycle when things just happen, environmentally or personally, either good or bad, depending on the cycle. Takahashi has been doing well though. Good for him.